Guest column: Walker backs transparency, in theory

7:14 PM,
Dec. 30, 2012

Written by

Bill Lueders
Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Scott Walker isn't anybody's idea of a champion of campaign finance reform. He was elected governor in 2010 after outspending the competition in what was then the costliest statewide race in Wisconsin history, at $37.4 million. That record was shattered in this year's recall election, when an estimated $81 million was spent, including $36 million by Walker's own campaign.

In between, Walker and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature killed the state's already weak system of public financing, touted as the best way to constrain spending and preserve competitive elections.